Mathews in Mathews County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Tompkins Cottage, circa 1820
Photographed by Brandon D Cross
1. Tompkins Cottage, circa 1820 Marker
The Tompkins Cottage, a weatherboard-clad structure, is one of the oldest standing buildings in the Mathews Downtown Historic District. Architectural historians surmise it was erected in two building campaigns. The oldest portion, which has been dated by dendrochronology to circa 1820, has undergone little alteration and consists of a large heated room with a shed extension to the rear. In 1856, a story and a half addition with chimney and a shed extension was completed. The overhead unheated room was accessible by means of the original stairway. Although it is uncertain who built the building, court records indicate that in 1837, Colonel Christopher Tompkins bought the quarter-acre lot on which this structure stands.
The Mathews County Historical Society, Inc., a nonprofit organization, has been leasing the Tompkins Cottage, a county-owned building, since 1969. Over time, it has served as a tailor shop, photography studio and private residence. Today, the Tompkins Cottage is used as a local history museum and interpretive facility.
The Tompkins Cottage is registered as a Virginia Historic Landmark and placed on
this page online
[Captions:]
Front room in the circa 1820 section has undergone little alteration over the years.
Early lock on one of the original doors in the circa 1820 building.
Frederick Theodore Miller, a photographer, and his family lived in the cottage during the early 20th century.
A coat belonging to Captain Sally L. Tompkins, CSA, is displayed in the shed room of the circa 1856 addition.
Colonel Christopher Tompkins, first recorded owner of the property, was a wealthy mariner, prominent local planter and merchant.
Erected by Mathews County and the Mathews County Historical Society Incorporated.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1820.
Location. 37° 25.982′ N, 76° 19.309′ W. Marker is in Mathews, Virginia, in Mathews County. It is at the intersection of Brickbat Road (Virginia Route 1001) and Court Street, on the left when traveling west on Brickbat Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 50 Brickbat Road, Mathews VA
Photographed by Brandon D Cross
2. Tompkins Cottage, circa 1820 Marker
Regionally, this marker is on the Middle Peninsula and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Tidewater, in the Chesapeake Bay Region, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Fort Cricket Hill (within shouting distance of this marker); Civil War In Mathews County (within shouting distance of this marker); Mathews County Confederate Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Mathews County Courthouse Square (within shouting distance of this marker); Captain Sally L. Tompkins, C.S.A. (within shouting distance of this marker); The Old Thomas James Store (about 400 feet away, measured in
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 29, 2026
3. Virginia Historic Landmark and National Register of Historic Places plaque on the cottage
Also see . . .
1. Tompkins Cottage Museum. Mathews County Historical Society website homepage (Submitted on July 16, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
2. National Register of Historic Places nomination form for the Mathews Downtown Historic District. The Tompkins Cottage is a contributing structure to the Mathews Downtown Historic District. The nomination form was prepared by David A. Brown, Thane H. Harpole, and Elizabeth Cook of DATA Investigations LLC, submitted on March 29, 2017. A narrative summary statement of significance is on page 48:
The Mathews Downtown Historic District is located at the head of Put-in Creek, a tributary of the East River, and centrally located within Mathews County, encompassing an area slightly less than 200 acres (see Map 1). During the Early and Middle Woodland periods, Virginia Indians used the area for multiple, short-term occupations. Historically, the town is defined by three primary roads, Main Street, Church Street, and Buckley Hall Road, and the houses, businesses, government buildings, and churches that largely front these streets. The town is a remarkably intact example of a late 19th- through mid-20th-century courthouse village that, while lightly settled before the division of Mathews from Gloucester County in 1791, has remained the only seat of government for the entirety of the countys history and has operated as the center of government, business, and social activities throughout that time. The district extends northward along Main Street to its intersection with Buckley Hall Road, branching to the west and east. It also extends west along Church Street, and south along Main Street, in each circumstance incorporating relatively densely concentrated single-family houses. The surrounding landscape is rural and agricultural. The Mathews Downtown Historic District retains strong visual integrity in both architectural style and landscape in general, dating from its earliest period of concentrated development ca. 1775 through 1967.
Tompkins Cottage is described on page 8:
Built circa 1820, the Christopher Tompkins Cottage (VDHR #057-0002) sits just south of the Courthouse Square. This single-story, frame building, sheathed in weatherboard, has a wood shingle roof. Tompkins was a prolific real estate speculator in Mathews Court House, buying and selling property throughout the first decades of the 19th century, as well as investing in commercial partnerships. This resource was likely a rented property that brought Tompkins investment income.(Submitted on August 30, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 30, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 16, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 232 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 16, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. 3. submitted on August 30, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
